Thursday, May 10, 2007

Watching the lightbulb go on

Is there anything sweeter than watching the the gears turn and the lightbulb go on in a child's head as they grasp something new?

If you don't believe it's possible to see what goes on in a child's head, sit and watch a child for a while.

It's part of the reason I do what I do. I love watching a child learn!

Too often people have low expectations of kids--young kids, inner city kids, rural kids, special education kids. I once had an assistant principal tell me that a 10-year old who couldn't read must've "reached his peak." I refuse to believe that anyone can "reach their peak" at 10 years old!

I have learned that kids rise to whatever expectations the people around them set for them...whether it's a 5-year old learning about photography or a child with Fragile X developing higher language skills due to his equal involvement in an after-school program.

ALL kids have something to offer. ALL kids have more to learn. Let's be careful not to deny them (or us) the privilege of seeing how far they can go.